


Betrayed

by Tinkerhell_6661



Category: Avenged Sevenfold
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-01
Updated: 2020-05-02
Packaged: 2021-02-23 04:54:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 13
Words: 20,154
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23939344
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tinkerhell_6661/pseuds/Tinkerhell_6661
Summary: When Synyster Gates bets Zacky Vengeance that he can't take home October Whittaker, Zacky immediately wants to prove him wrong. But what happens when it doesn't end there? How far will Zacky take this? Will he break October's heart carelessly or will he try to fix the mistake he made?
Relationships: Valary Sanders/M. Shadows, Zacky Vengeance/Original Character(s)





	1. An Epic of Time Wasted

Chapter 1  
An Epic Of Time Wasted  
~October's P.O.V.~  
"October, you don't have to do this." Wil said, reaching for my arm as I pulled away.  
"Actually, Wil, yes I do. I have to do this. I'm not doing this anymore. This is absolutely unfair." I shouted.  
"I don't understand why you're leaving. After all this time? After all we've been through?" he said, softly, his eyes tearing up.  
"No, no, no. After the bullshit you put me through. You're never there for me, you're always out with your douchebag friends, & when you are here, your mind is totally somewhere else. You are never here. Never."  
"October, I'm - I don't know what to say. I'm sorry." he stuttered, his voice lowering to a soft whisper.  
"You don't get it. I need you to be here. Here. With me. Right here, right now. This is the most you've ever been there for me & that's pathetic. I've been trying to get through to you. Nothing works. I'm done. This just isn't going to work." I sighed, running my fingers through my shoulder length blonde hair.  
"October, please. Look, I'll try harder. Just give me another chance." he whispered, looking deeply into my eyes.  
"Not again. Do you know how many chances I've given you?"  
"October, I-" "I gotta go. I don't have time for this." I interrupted him as I walked away.  
"Where are you going?" he yelled after me. Not answering, I heard footsteps running behind me.  
"I'm not letting you go." he said, grabbing my arm.  
"Let me go. Now." I said, clenching my teeth.  
"I can't let you do this to us."  
"Wil, this is it. If you don't let me go, I swear I will fucking hurt you."  
"Right." he chuckled. He didn't let go so I broke his grasp & pushed him down to the ground & held him there with my fist getting ready to knock his lights out.  
"Tobe, I think we both know you don't have it in you to hurt me." Wil smirked.  
"Try me, fucker." I growled. His eyes widened a little. He had seen me go ape shit before & he knew that was not something he wanted to be unleashed onto him. I slowly stood up & walked away, looking behind me every few seconds to see him still lying on the ground watching me walk away.  
Wil had been my boyfriend for 3 years. We had been through some really bad times & some really great times, but it was time to let it go. He had distanced himself from me, but he didn't realize it. I was 27 & my parents had both died a few years prior, I had just broken up with my longtime boyfriend, & to top it all off, I had nowhere to go. I still had a few things left at Wil's, but I was not about to deal with that after the horrible break up. There was only one person to call at a time like this; my best friend, Amy Milton. We had known each other ever since we were in diapers & we talked to each other practically every day. I dialed her number once I was a few blocks away from Wil.  
"Hey girlfriend! What's up?" she answered.  
"Hey, I, um, I dumped Wil." I sighed.  
"You can stay at my place if you want. Where are you? I'll come get you."  
"I'm walking down Cypress Avenue getting ready to come up on Slater Boulevard."  
"Give me a few minutes & I'll be there."  
"Thank you so much girl." I said before I hung up. I sat on the edge of the curb, waiting. About 5 minutes later, she pulled up next to the curb & I opened the passenger side door & sat down inside.  
"Look, I know how depressed you must feel. I say we go to this club called Johnny's Bar. There's supposed to be this awesome band perform there tonight. We can get shitfaced drunk & it'll help you feel a little better & maybe take your mind off of all this other bullshit. What do ya say?" she looked hopeful, keeping her eyes on the road ahead.  
"Why the hell not? I could use it. Let's do it!" I sighed.  
"We'll go back to my place & I'll find you an outfit to wear tonight. I know most of your stuff is at Wil's & I know you're not about to go over there & deal with all that crap." she chuckled, turning the steering wheel left as we went around the corner.  
"Thanks." I grinned, thankful.


	2. Brompton Cocktail

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Bitch, are you here to sip some nasty ass wine or are you here to get drunk?..."

Brompton Cocktail  
"Here. Wear this." Amy said, handing me a black, one shouldered dress that came above my knee. I went into the bathroom to change & when I came back out, her eyes widened.  
"Girl, you look good in that dress. Here, are some shoes to go with it. Put those on & walk down the hall." They were white heels with painted blood stains & stitches on them. I did as I was told & when I got to the end of the hallway, I spun around, winked at her & walked back towards her.  
"We are gonna knock 'em dead tonight!" she squealed. For the next few hours, she got dressed, did her hair & make up. Then she did my make up & my hair.  
"You don't think Wil is going to be there tonight, do you?" I asked her.  
"Tobe, hush. Don't even think about him. You need to focus on you tonight. Just relax & have some fun. Chill, girl." she sighed.  
"I know, I know. You're right." I sighed, closing my eyes. Finally at about 8 o'clock, we were ready to head out. We hopped into her black '04 Ford Mustang GT & headed towards Johnny's bar. As soon as we walked inside, there was already a bunch of people there. The band on stage was in mid performance. Avenged Sevenfold was their name as I could see it on their banner above the stage. The lead singer had mirrored aviators, slicked back black hair, & a lip ring on the left side of his mouth. The drummer was really pale & skinny with black hair in a crazy looking style. The bassist had red & green spiked short hair & was somewhat pale. The main guitarist had black hair that was halfway spiked up, black eyeliner & tan skin. Then there was the other guitarist. He had snakebites & a septum piercing. His black hair was spiked partially except for the front which fell over his left eye. He had fingerless gloves on & was really shredding on his guitar. Him & the other guitarist then stood with their backs to each other & kept playing. It was incredible! They were both playing so effortlessly. You could barely see their fingers move, they were so quick & it all sounded so clean.  
"Hey, we can drool over them in a few minutes. Right now, it's time to get our drink on." Amy said, grabbing my arm & pulling me towards the bar.  
"Let me get a glass of wine." I told the bartender.  
"Bitch, are you here to sip some nasty ass wine or are you here to get drunk? Get this girl some vodka. Straight vodka. No ice. Just a glass of vodka." Amy cut in.  
"I suppose you're right." I sighed, sitting down on a stool & turning to look towards the stage.  
"They're pretty awesome, aren't they?" she asked me, lightly bobbing her head to the music.  
"Not exactly a band you'd want in a bar." I chuckled.  
"They're pretty popular from what I've heard."  
"Well, I really like their sound. Thanks." I said as the bartender sat my glass down in front of me. I took the tall glass & took a couple gulps.  
"Fuck. Ooh. Good stuff." I chuckled.  
"Come on. Don't waste that shit. Drink up. After we've had a few good drinks, I think we need to go to the dance club down the street called The Black Cat."  
"And why do we need to go there?" I asked her, taking another gulp of my vodka.  
"Because. That's where a lot of people go to hang out."  
"Oh my god. Don't do this." I sighed.  
"What?"  
"I just broke up with Wil. I'm not looking for anything right now. I'm just trying to get drunk & have some fun."  
"Well, we can find someone for you to have fun with tonight." she winked at me.  
"Amy, no!" I said, glaring at her.  
"Damn it. Fine. At least keep your options open. You never know what could happen. Get enough drinks in you & well, I'm sure you'd be a little more open to the idea."  
"Shut it." I said, gulping down the last of my vodka.  
We ordered a few beers & a couple shots of Jack Daniel's whiskey, sat & listened to the band & then we decided we should probably start walking down to The Black Cat.  
"We are Avenged Sevenfold. Thank you guys for coming out tonight. We really appreciate all you guys." the lead singer said before him & his band mates walked off stage.  
"Time to go." Amy said, slurring her words a bit.  
"Oh great." I sighed, looking over at her & taking her hand. We walked down to the club & we found a booth in the corner & sat down. It took Amy a few minutes to gather herself enough to get on the dance floor.  
"Come on." she giggled, grabbing my hand. I followed her & they were playing some dumb Chris Brown song. We danced for about 20 minutes before I went back to our table & sat down again.  
~Zacky's P.O.V.~  
"Who's ready to get fucked up?" I smiled at the guys, walking off stage.  
"I fuckin' am!" Synyster laughed.  
"Let's get our shit together first & then we'll head down to The Black Cat down the street. They have that Grey Goose vodka I love." Matt said, walking back on stage. We got all of our stuff together making it easier for our roadies to load it up & we walked down the street to the club. Matt ordered his beloved Grey Goose & cranberry, Rev & Brian ordered Guiness beers, Johnny ordered a couple beers, & for me, my beloved Jack Daniel's whiskey. We found a table at the back of the club facing the dance floor & just sat there drinking our drinks & laughing.  
"So who's it gonna be tonight, Mr. Vengeance?" Synyster asked me, slurring his words.  
"What?" I asked him, confused.  
"You know what I mean. Which one of these hoe's you gonna take back to your place?"  
"Nah, dude. Nah." I laughed, taking a drink of my whiskey.  
"Stop bein' a bitch! I bet you couldn't even do it. Pussy!" Synyster was always a dick when he got too drunk. He was hilarious when he drank, but once he reached that certain point, he turned into a total douche.  
"Fuck you, dick." I glared at him.  
"Brian, come on man. Lay off." Jimmy laughed, nervously.  
"Shut up, Jimmy." Brian snapped.  
"Brian, quit dude. Just stop while you're still ahead." Matt laughed. He knew how Brian was. He knew how to handle Brian when he got like this. Most times, anyway.  
"Look, all I'm saying is that we're rock stars now. Pick a bitch, take her home, fuck her senseless, & then drop her like a bad habit." Brian said, simmering down a little.  
"No, dude. I'm not in the mood for that crap right now anyway." I said, looking over at the dance floor.  
"I'm willing to bet you $50 that you can't take..." Brian's eyes scanned the room looking for a worthy victim. "her. You can't take her home with you."  
"Who?" I asked him, looking in the direction he pointed. He pointed again & there was a tall, skinny, blonde girl with a hot ass body in the corner.  
"Her? Really?" I asked him.  
"You won't do it. You little chicken shit." Brian laughed.  
"Make it $300 & you got yourself a deal." I told him as I stuck out my hand for him to shake it.  
"Don't be doing this unless you got the cash." Brian warned.  
"I don't need the cash. You do. Watch this shit." I smirked as I finished my whiskey & stood up to walk over to their table.


	3. Almost Easy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Technically, I won...

Almost Easy  
~October's P.O.V.~  
"Oh my god, Amy. He's coming this way." I told her, looking at him & tapping Amy's arm, trying to get her attention. One of the guitarists from Avenged Sevenfold was walking over to our table.  
"Is this seat taken?" he asked me.  
"No. Go ahead." I said with a stunned grin.  
"I'm Zacky Vengeance. I think I saw you at Johnny's Bar, didn't I?" he asked me.  
"Yeah. I saw you guys & your music is pretty great." I said, tucking my hair behind my ears, nervously.  
"Well, thank you. What's your name?" he asked me, leaning back in his seat & resting his arm on the ledge above our seats.  
"I'm October & this is my friend, Amy."  
"Hey, what up?" Amy slurred.  
"Excuse my drunken friend here." I chuckled.  
"Fuck you. Nah, girl. I love ya." she giggled in her drunken stupor.  
"She's something else, isn't she?" Zacky laughed.  
"Oh, you have no idea. So what brings you over here?" I asked him, curiously.  
"You." he grinned, resting his arms on the table, fingers folded into each other.  
"Me? Right. What really brought you over here?" I laughed, looking over at the dance floor.  
"No, I'm serious. It's not the alcohol, it's not that we're in a club. I came over here because you caught my eye." he explained.  
"Look, I really appreciate the compliment, but I just got out of a really bad relationship."  
"So you're single?" he asked me, obviously intrigued.  
"Yeah, but I'm not looking for anything like that. I'm just here to have a good time." I told him, nervously.  
"Hey, it's cool. I understand. But can I ask you this? Have you ever been down to the pier here in town?"  
"Yeah, I go there a lot actually." I grinned, looking over at him.  
"Well, would you be interested in grabbing a couple beers with me & taking a walk down there?"  
"I don't know." I replied, looking over at Amy.  
"Hey, bitch, I'll take a- I'll-I'll get a cab. Damn it. I can't talk. Ha!" she laughed, crazily.  
"I can't leave her like this." I told Zacky.  
"If you want, I can take her home & then we can go to the pier? Would that help?" he asked me, his eyes meeting mine. His eyes were a beautiful teal color & they seemed to be begging me.  
"You're determined to get me to go with you, huh?"  
"I am. I don't know what it is about you, but I just feel like I want to get to know you better." he said in a soft tone.  
"Okay. Fine, I'll go, BUT, this isn't a date or whatever. We're just drinking a couple beers & going to the pier. Nothing else. Got it?" I said.  
"Okay, okay. I got it. That's fine by me. Come on, let's get out of here." he said as he stood up & held out his hand. I just sat there & stared at it for a minute or two.  
"Well, are you gonna take my hand or what?" he chuckled, hand still waiting there for me to take it. I hesitated, but I took his hand & he helped me up.  
"Come on, Amy. I'm taking you home." I told her.  
"Ha ha ha. Let's get out this biatch! Fuck you hoe's! Ha ha ha!" she laughed, maniacally.  
"Oh my god." I sighed, putting my face in my hands. Zacky & I helped Amy to the door & Zacky called a cab for us. Amy passed out on my shoulder halfway home & then I helped her inside, laying her in her bed & tucking her in.  
"I'll be back later. You just go to sleep." I whispered to her as I pulled the covers over her. I walked back outside to Zacky, waiting in the cab for me.  
"Is she gonna be okay by herself?" he asked me as I got in & sat beside him.  
"I tucked her into bed. She's out like a light. I'm not worried."  
Once we reached the pier, Zacky paid the driver, grabbed our two beers & we walked to the end, hanging our feet off of the edge.  
"It's so beautiful out here." I sighed, taking a sip from my bottle.  
"I know." Zacky grinned, looking over at me.  
"What?" I asked him, confused.  
"Oh, nothing." he said, rubbing the back of his neck.  
"So, uh, how's the rock star life treatin' ya?"  
"Awesome. I do what I love with four of my best friends. It's pretty great. I'm a lucky guy."  
"Sounds like it." I said as I sat & listened to the waves crashing onto the shore.  
"Yeah." he said, quietly, looking out over the water.  
"It's gotta be a lonely life, though. I'm sure you're always away on tour or whatever & have all these fan girls wanting a piece of you. Not you, but you. Zacky Vengeance." He didn't say anything. Just kept staring out over the water.  
"It's not so bad. I just mainly focus on our music. I have a pretty good head on my shoulders. I'm really lucky to be where I'm at." he sighed.  
"At least you're thankful for what you have & where you are. I can't say the same about myself really." I chuckled, feeling pathetic.  
"What do you mean?" he asked me, confused.  
"It's a long story. It's nothing really."  
"No, go ahead. What is it? What happened?" he asked.  
"Well, my parents died a few years ago. I used to be close to them & then we got into a fight about something really stupid, didn't talk for a few years & then just a few days before I was planning to come back & fix things, they died. Car accident. I was heartbroken." I explained, holding back tears.  
"Oh, I'm so sorry. If you don't want to talk about it, you don't have to."  
"No, it's fine. Really. I've come to terms with it since then. It happened. I know they loved me no matter what. I just never got to say goodbye."  
"I couldn't imagine going through that."  
"Then there's my ex boyfriend, Wil. We were together for about 3 years & he started distancing himself from me & it just wasn't working out. I couldn't handle it anymore. That's still kind of a sensitive subject, actually." I chuckled, nervously.  
"It's fine, really. I don't want you to be uncomfortable."  
"Yeah, well, I have worse problems right now. I'd rather be uncomfortable then have these problems." I sighed, drinking the last of my beer.  
"Well, we should probably start heading our separate ways." he told me.  
"Yeah, might be a good idea." I replied, taking his hand to help me up. My head immediately started swimming & my vision blurred for a few seconds.  
"Whoa." I said, trying to regain my balance.  
"Do you just want to come back to my place & sleep it off?" he asked me.  
"No, I'll be fine. Really." I slurred. Shit. I was a little more drunk than I thought.  
"My place is closer than yours. I even have a separate bedroom you can use." he offered.  
"I can't. I shouldn't. Really."  
"October, please." I don't know what it was, but the way he said my name changed my mind.  
"Okay. Okay, but I'm taking a cab home first thing in the morning."  
"I'll do you one better, I'll take you home in the morning."  
"Why are you doing this?" I asked him.  
"I like you. You're-well, you're beautiful. You're very interesting. I just really like you." he replied.  
"This will probably be the last time that we talk or whatever. I don't need this in my life right now."  
"I'm not trying to impose anything on you. I'm just offering this because if I were in your position, I'd like it if someone did that for me."  
"I suppose." I said, somewhat concerned. My head was starting to hurt. I could feel it pounding. Zacky called a cab to come get us & take us to his house just a couple of miles from where we were. Once the cab was there, he helped me get into the cab. Once we reached his house, he helped me get out & we walked up to his front door. It wasn't very big, but once he opened the door, the inside was somewhat big. Definately enough for one person to live comfortably.  
"Come on. I'll help you to your room." he said, putting his arm around me to help me walk. We went up some stairs & went into a bedroom at the right side of the hallway. He laid me down & tucked me in.  
"Do you need anything?" he asked me as he started walking away.  
"No. Thank you, though. You didn't have to do this."  
"I know. Night." he grinned, warmly, as he shut the light off & closed the door.  
~Zacky's P.O.V.~  
What the fuck has she done to me? Who is this girl? It's almost as if she can see right through me. She said earlier that it must be a lonely life & that all these fan girls just want a piece of Zacky Vengeance. Not Zacky Baker. I've never really thought of that although it is a lonely life sometimes. I mean, I have the guys to keep me company, but sometimes I feel like I need something more to fulfill me. I seriously meant to go through with my plans to fuck her, but I couldn't bring myself to do it. Not after that. No one's ever said something like that to me before. Why am I acting like this? She's just a random girl. Nothing special. Or is she? No, Zacky. No. I don't know. I stayed up all night, just thinking about what she said. I also thought about her. She was a pretty strong person to be so well put together & yet she's gone through so much. No matter what, though, I can't be involved with her anymore. Brian & I's bet is settled. Technically, I won. This is the end of this. Tomorrow, I'm going to take her back home & I'll probably never see or hear from her again. It's better off this way. I need to end this. Now.


	4. Crossroads

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Which way will Zacky go? Will he decide to pursue October or will he listen to Brian & drop her like a bad habit?

Crossroads  
~October's P.O.V.~  
As my eyes opened, I looked around the room I was in. The room was dark red with black curtains, the bedding was black with red pillows & a big red comforter, & the carpet was black. I didn't recognize where I was. But then I remembered what had happened the night before.  
"Shit." I thought to myself throwing my head back down on my pillow. Then I heard a soft knock on the door.  
"Can I come in?" I heard a voice say.  
"Yeah, go ahead." I replied, rubbing the sleep out of my eyes. When the bedroom door opened, my eyes widened. I had stayed with Zacky Vengeance last night.  
"Did you sleep well?" he asked me, walking over to the curtains to open them.  
"Yeah. This bed is super comfy." I chuckled, sitting up.  
"I love that bed. It's pretty nice." he sat on the edge of the bed & looked out the window. I looked over at him & I couldn't help thinking about how good looking he was. He was wearing a red & black plaid unbuttoned shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows over a white t shirt, black beat up skinny jeans, & some red & black Converse sneakers. His hair was neatly combed, too.  
"So, nothing happened last night, did it?" I asked him, slightly worried.  
"No, no. We dropped your friend off at your house & then we went to the pier, had a beer, came back here & went to sleep." he assured me.  
"I just don't remember drinking as much as I did. I don't get that drunk that often." I chuckled, nervously.  
"It's fine, really. Well, are you ready for me to take you home?"  
"Yeah. That sounds good. I'm sure Amy's wondering where I'm at." We left soon after & he drove me home. The ride was mostly quiet except for the low music on the radio. Once he pulled into my driveway, I looked over at him.  
"Thanks. I really appreciate it." I told him.  
"Yeah, no problem." I got out of the car & then I looked back at him.  
"Bye, Zack." I waved, walking up to my door. He waved back, sat there for a few seconds, just staring at me, then drove away.  
~Zacky's P.O.V.~  
I had just dropped October off when my phone started ringing. It was Brian. Shit.  
"So, did you fuck her?" he asked me.  
"Well yeah. That was the bet, wasn't it?" I chuckled.  
"Is she still there?"  
"No, I just dropped her off."  
"She stayed with you last night?"  
"Yeah. I wasn't gonna fuck her & then make her go home. Besides, we did it again when we woke up." I lied.  
"You little animal. Maybe you're not so much of a wussbag anyway."  
"Gee, thanks." I sighed.  
"Well, I suppose I'll pay up when I see you later today. We're all going to Matt & Val's for some drinks later. You game?"  
"Brian, really? You already know the answer to that question." I laughed. Once I reached my house, I went inside & sat on my couch. I turned on the tv to see what was on & flipping through the channels, I started thinking about October. Her eyes were the perfect shade of green, her hair was blonde & came down to her shoulders, she was skinny, but it was a healthy looking skinny. She was so interesting, but yet, I didn't really know much about her. Shaking off the thought of her, I turned off the tv & went to go find my guitar. I sat down in my bedroom on the edge of my bed & started strumming a few chords. Her face drifted slowly into my mind again. What the fuck is going on here? Seriously. I couldn't stop thinking about her. This wasn't good. Especially if Brian found out. He'd go bat shit crazy. I figured if I didn't say anything to him or anyone else about it, I'd forget about her. Then I wouldn't have anything to worry about anymore. Hours passed & I decided to start heading over to Matt & Val's. I put on my Night Of The Living Dead t shirt, black skinny jeans, & my red & black Converse shoes. I combed my hair neatly again & was ready to head out the door. Pulling into their driveway, I parked my car behind Brian's.  
"Vengeance is back!" Rev shouted, running towards me with open arms.  
"Hey, dude." I laughed as he picked me up & spun me around.  
"Everyone is in the backyard. Come on." Rev chuckled, setting me down.  
"Vengeance, my man. What's up bro?" Johnny smiled, looking over at me.  
"Hey, guys." I waved, walking towards the group.  
"So what happened?" Matt asked me, handing me a beer.  
"With what?" I replied, confused. They all looked at me, knowingly.  
"Zack. Really? Come on, man. Spill it."Johnny chuckled, sipping his beer.  
"Oh, that. It was great. We took a cab to the pier, had a beer, went back to my place, I charmed her, & let's just say that things escalated from there." I lied.  
"So you really did, didn't you?" Valary asked me.  
"Yeah. Brian & I bet on it." I told her, feeling pathetic, but trying not to let it show. Valary just glared at both of us.  
"You know, that's really awful. You can't go doing that to these girls." she said.  
"Val, come on. We're rock stars now." Brian piped up.  
"Yeah, but that's still not right. You're taking advantage of your fans." she argued. Matt just gave her a look that said, 'let it go'. Matt knew how stubborn Brian could be sometimes. We sat around drinking for a while & at sunset, Matt made a small bonfire & we all dragged some chairs to sit around it.  
"Johnny, throw me some cigarettes." I shouted to him across the yard. He searched his pockets, started looking around him, then he saw his pack on the table. He threw them to me & then threw me his lighter once he was done lighting his cigarette. I pulled out a cigarette, lit it, & watched the flames in the fire as I inhaled the grey smoke into my lungs.  
"Red is the new black! Pink is not the new black! Red is like I told them!" Brian slurred his words, sitting in his chair.  
"I agree good sir. Cheers to that." Rev grinned, clinking his bottle with Brian's.  
"Hell yeah bro." Brian slurred.  
"How much do you think he's had?" I asked Rev.  
"Enough." Rev said, looking at me.  
"Yeah, if he has anymore, well, we all know what happens then." I replied, taking the last drag off of my cigarette & flicking it into the fire.  
~October's P.O.V.~  
I walked into Amy's & she was sitting on the couch, watching tv.  
"Where were you? What happened last night?" she asked me, turning around to face me.  
"Well, you got way too drunk, Zacky Vengeance came over to our table, started talking to me, asked me to go down to the pier with him, we dropped you off here, I tucked you in, we went to the pier, had a beer, & I slept at his house. He just dropped me off back here." I explained.  
"Did you sleep or did you do the dirty deed?" she winked at me.  
"No. No, nothing happened. I was just a little too drunk & his place was closer so he let me crash there for the night. That was it."  
"He's pretty sexy, huh?" she nudged me as I sat down beside her.  
"Fine, yeah. He is quite good looking." I grinned, sheepishly.  
"No kiss? No nothing?"  
"Amy, no. We just talked on the pier, had a drink, went back to his place, I slept in his guest bedroom, & he slept in his bedroom. That was it. No more, no less."  
"Ugh, I'd have jumped all over that." she sighed.  
"Yeah, well, I'm not looking to do that anytime soon. I'm fine where I'm at right now. I don't want to talk about this. I'm going to go eat something." I said, frustrated. I walked into the kitchen & started making myself some bacon & eggs. As I sat down at the table, my phone rang alerting me that I had a text. It was Wil.  
"Hey." he texted.  
"What?"  
"Can we talk?"  
"Yeah, sure."  
"Really? :-)" he texted.  
"No! Ha ha ha. Seriously? I told you. I'm done. Get lost."  
"October, please." I didnt reply back to him. Maybe if I quit talking to him long enough, he'd leave me alone & take the hint. Then my mind turned to Zacky. He was really cute & he seemed so lonely. But he had a girlfriend. He had to have a girlfriend. With his good looks & him being a rock star, I'm sure there was a special girl in his life. I pushed him out of my thoughts & went about my day as usual.  
"You do realize your stuff is still over here right? You can't avoid me forever." Wil texted me later that day. Damn. Still, I didn't say anything. As much as I hated to admit that he was right, he was. I couldn't avoid him forever & I really needed to get my things out of his apartment.


	5. Seize the Day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Zacky makes his decision...

Seize The Day  
~Zacky's P.O.V.~  
I woke up the next morning like always, but the first person on my mind was October. This was getting ridiculous. I sat up in bed & stared into my reflection in the mirror on my dresser. I sat there thinking about my options. If I tried to find October & maybe get to know her, Brian would throw a bitch fit, but I think the guys would back me up with this. If I don't, this will drive me crazy. I might as well face it, her image in my head will never go away. I can't deal with this right now. I need to find her. I got up out of bed, searched through my drawers for something suitable to wear. I searched through my closet & found my Vengeance University t shirt. I threw on my dark denim jacket over it, put on some dark red beat up jeans, & my black & white Etnies skate shoes. I ran a comb through my hair & then instead decided to spike up the back & brush my bangs down the side of my face. I was just getting ready to head out the door when my phone rang.  
"Yeah?" I answered.  
"Hey, fucker. What are you doing?" Brian said.  
"Brian, not now. I'm kind of in the middle of something."  
"No, fuck that, dude. Drop whatever you're doing. You gotta get over here now, dude. Like right now."  
"What's going on?" I asked him, a little worried.  
"We're all getting together at Jimmy's tonight. He's gonna make a bunch of food, we're gonna have drinks, smoke some cigarettes. We're gonna party. What else? Now get over here."  
"Brian, I can't. I got some stuff I have to take care of today."  
"Like what?" he asked me.  
"I gotta take care of some paper work for Vengeance University. There's a new set of stuff coming in soon & I gotta make sure everything's in order." I lied.  
"Damn, man. Fine. But when you're done, drop by here." Brian told me.  
"Yeah, I gotta go, dude. Later." I hung up. At least Brian wasn't being a major douche like he usually was.  
"Okay, Zack. Come on, man. You gotta do this." I sighed, sitting down in my car. I drove over to her place & parked out front.  
"Here we go." I took a deep breath & stepped out of the car. Walking up to her door, my heart started racing. I hesitated for a moment, but I went to knock & before my hand reached the door, it opened.  
"Zacky? What are you doing here?" October's face appeared in the doorway.  
"Hey. I, uh, well, I, um, I wanted to talk to you about something. Can I come in?" I asked her, nervously.  
"Yeah, sure. Come on in." she replied, closing the door behind me. We sat on the couch & her eyes met mine. My heart was pounding in my chest.  
"So, I was wondering do you have any plans tonight?"  
"No. Why?" she asked me, curiously.  
"Do you want to-I mean, would you be-I wanted to know if-" I took a deep breath & cleared my head. "do you want to have dinner with me tonight?" I asked her, looking into her eyes.  
"Zacky, I don't know. I'm not so sure I'm ready for that."  
"Look, it doesn't have to be a date. I just want to get to know you. That's all. I had a good time that night. I want to do it again, but not like that. Know what I mean?" I couldn't say anything. I had a good time, too, but I was a little nervous & scared.  
"She'll go with you. Most definitely." Amy chimed in, walking towards us from down the hall.  
"Amy, you bitch." she muttered under her breath.  
"I think you're outvoted here." I laughed, looking at her.  
"You know what? Fine. I'll go. This could be good for me. But, it's not a date."  
"Fine. Fine. I'm okay with that." I said, grinning.  
"So what do you have planned?" October asked me.  
"You'll just have to find out. I'll pick you up at 7." I told her as I got up to leave. Once I was out in my car, I felt a little relieved.  
~October's P.O.V.~  
"Amy! What the fuck!" I glared at her after Zacky had left.  
"What? Girl, you're wasting life away sitting here day after day thinking about Wil. Get a grip girl. Zacky is dead sexy & he obviously likes you a lot. You may feel like you don't want to have anything to do with men right now, but just give it some time. At least get to know the guy."  
"I have no choice now, do I?" I rolled my eyes, walking to my room. After looking through my entire wardrobe for the perfect outfit for what seemed like forever, I found a purple & black tie dye looking dress with an empire waist line with straps that tied around the back of my neck. Amy let me borrow her black & white american flag peeptoed heels to go with it.  
"Now, let's do your make up." Amy smiled, leading me to the bathroom. She did a purple smokey eye and some light cherry flavored lip gloss.  
"Do I look okay?" I asked her, nervously.  
"Pft. That's the understatement of the year." she scoffed with a grin.  
"Thanks, I guess." I grinned.  
"Look, you'll do fine. If he doesn't like you for you or whatever, then fuck him. Wait, I mean, don't fuck him. I meant-" "Amy, I know. I get it." I interrupted her, trying not to laugh.  
"Yeah. Look, I know I can be a bitch a lot of the time, but I just don't want you to waste your life thinking about Wil. He was a great guy, but he had his chances. I just want you to be happy. That's all." she grinned, hugging me.  
"I know. I'm just a little nervous. You think he really likes me? I'm just a random girl. I'm nothing special."  
"No, no, no. Don't you ever think that. You are special. If he doesn't see that, his loss." Then we both heard a knock at the door.  
"Go get 'em tiger." she winked at me. I took a deep breath & then opened the door to see Zacky dressed in a black long sleeve shirt, a red bow tie, dark blue jeans, some black dress shoes. His hair was spiked up except for the front which fell over his left eye.  
"Wow. You look...great. You look very stunning." he grinned, seeming nervous.  
"Thanks." I grinned, sheepishly, closing the door behind me. Zacky stuck out his arm for me to link with him. I stood there for a second, looking at his arm & then him, & then his arm again.  
"If not, it's okay." he said, still standing there, waiting for me. I decided to take his arm & he led me to his car, opening the door for me. I sat down inside, feeling my heart racing with nervousness.  
"Thanks for coming with me." he said, giving me a shy grin.


	6. A Little Piece of Heaven

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Will Zacky succeed in winning over October? Will October give in to her heart or fight what she's feeling inside?

A Little Piece Of Heaven  
~Zacky's P.O.V.~  
After I went home to shower & get ready for tonight, I went to pick up October. When she opened her door, I had to stop my jaw from hitting the floor. She looked absolutely beautiful. Keep it together, dude. Be cool.  
"Wow. You look...great. You look very stunning." I told her.  
"Thanks." she seemed to blush. She shut the door behind her & I held out my arm for her to take it & she just stood there. I felt bad for a split second, but then I said, "If not, it's okay." She must havechanged her mind because she linked my arm. We walked to my car & I opened the door for her.  
"Thanks for coming with me." I told her, grinning.  
"Well, thanks for taking me." she said, acting really shy.  
"So there's this certain restaurant I want to take you to."  
"Which one?"  
"The Red Rose."  
"Wait, what? That place is so hard to get into. It's really expensive, too. Are you sure?"  
"October, I want to take you there. Please." I assured her as I drove down the street.  
"Okay. But this isn't a date." she quickly replied.  
"If you're worried about falling for me, don't be. I'm sure I'm probably not your type anyway. This isn't a date. I just want to get to know you."  
"Wait, what?"  
"Just relax & have a good time. Everything will be fine." I said. We drove for a little while longer & we finally reached the restaurant. I parked the car & then got out to open her door for her.  
"Thank you." she blushed.  
"Shall we?" I asked her, offering her my arm to link with. This time, she didn't hesitate to take it. We walked inside & I gave the maitre d my name & she showed us to our table. It was in the back in a dimly lit room. The table had candles on it, the plates had napkins formed into some weird shapes on them, & there roses along the window. I heard her gasp & I saw her eyes widen when she saw it all. I pulled out her chair & I ordered a beer for me & she wanted a glass of red wine.  
"This isn't a date, Zacky." she told me in a low voice.  
"That's..." counting on my fingers. "about four times you've said that now. I know. I just wanted everything to look good. I wanted everything to be good. Sorry if it's too much." I shrugged.  
"Look, I'm sorry. I've just been stressing out a lot lately. I've heard a lot about rock stars & their lifestyle."  
"Well, I'll have you know that not all rockstars are the same."  
"Yeah. Well, thank you. It looks absolutely beautiful. It's great." she flashed me a smile & I felt my heart skip a beat. The candle light lit up her face so graciously. Her eyes made me want to melt.  
"So where are you from originally?" I asked her as the waitress brought us our drinks.  
"Phoenix, Arizona. I lived there until I was six, then my parents moved here to Huntington Beach. I love it here, though. Always have. It's so beautiful here."  
"I know you are." I said, dazed.  
"What?"  
"Oh, nothing." I woke from my trance. Stay focused, dude. Don't blow it.  
"What about you?" she asked me.  
"Olympia, Washington. But I've lived most of my life here. I love it here, too. I wouldn't want to live anywhere else." I told her, sipping my beer.  
"So tell me, a big rockstar such as yourself must have a special lady in his life, right?"  
"Yeah." I lied.  
"What's her name?" she asked me.  
"Okay, no. Not really. I mean I did, but that went to shit. I've been single for a while."  
"How? I mean, a rockstar like yourself has to have girls throwing themselves at him, though, right?"  
"You have no idea. But I'm not that shallow. That's just sickening."  
"Well, at least you have the good sense to know that. You see all these rockstars nowadays finding random girls, taking them back to their hotel, fucking them senseless, & then totally forgetting about them. I don't know. I just never liked that whole situation."  
"Yeah. Uh, me either really." I rubbed the back of my neck nervously. Damn, she was good.  
"So what are they other guys like?"  
"Well, Matt's probably the most level headed one out of the group, Johnny is just really short. He gets really pissy if you make fun of him for it, though. Jimmy is crazy, but man is he funny. There's never a dull moment with him around. Then, there's Brian. He's something else. He's cool. We all love the guy, but he can get kinda cocky sometimes when he drinks too much. But we all get along great. We all went to high school together except for Johnny. He's the baby of the group. We love him just the same, though." After we ordered our food, we must have sat there talking in the candle light for a couple of hours.  
"What do you say we get out of here?" I asked her, holding out my hand for her to take it. Her eyes met mine & she took my hand & we walked out to my car. It was dark outside, but the stars were bright & the moon was full.  
"I'm gonna need you to close your eyes." I told her before starting the car.  
"What? Why?" she asked me, confused.  
"I have a surprise for you. But no peeking."  
"Okay then."  
"I'm taking you somewhere, so be patient. Now close your eyes." I started the car & made sure her eyes were closed & we left. I was taking her to what most people would call Lover's Lane. It overlooked the whole city & it was an amazing view.  
"Okay. Open them." I told her as I parked the car.  
~October's P.O.V.~  
I opened my eyes & we were sitting on a cliff overlooking the city. It was so beautiful. I know I kept saying it wasn't a date. But it totally was & as the night went on, I slowly became more & more okay with that. I just hated admitting it. He was so cute & he was so kind. Very laid back, very chill.  
"Oh, Zack. It's beautiful." It was so quiet & so peaceful out here. It was also very dark except for the full moon casting it's light down upon us.  
"I go here a lot when I've had a bad day or I just need a break. The beach helps a lot, too. It's just so calming." Zacky said.  
"Zack, I had a great time tonight. I know we both said it wasn't a date, well, I said, - the point is, it was great."  
"I'm glad you had a good time. Do you think we could do this again?"  
"Yeah. I think that'd be cool. I'd like that a lot." I smiled. His hand was resting on the gear shift & I decided to randomly take it in mine.  
"But I thought this wasn't a date?" he looked over at me, teasing.  
"It's not," I chuckled. "I just felt like holding your hand. I mean, unless you don't want me to."  
"No, no, no. By all means, if that's what you want, go for it." he grinned at me. We sat there just looking at each other for a minute or so & then he asked me, "So how does a person endure so much & come out so strong like you?"  
"Life just keeps going & you have to keep up or get left behind. I can't afford to be stuck in the past or waste my time with people who don't value me."  
"You're quite impressive. So still no boyfriend, huh?"  
"Are you trying to insinuate something?" I glanced over at him.  
"No, not at all. I'm just asking a question." he chuckled.  
"Well, as a matter of fact, no. Still no. I actually still have to get my things from his apartment. He wants to work things out, but I'm totally done. I'm trying to avoid it as long as I can, but I can't avoid him forever." I sighed.  
"I'm sorry. I know how that goes. Exes are no fun."  
"I should probably go home now. Sorry. It's getting late."  
"Well, what are your plans for tomorrow?" he asked me.  
"Nothing as per usual. You're crushing hardcore, aren't you?" I joked.  
"Nah, I just like being around you. You're a great person to talk to. You're funny & I don't know. I just like you." he grinned, looking over at me. Damn you & your dreamy teal eyes.  
"What did you have in mind?" I asked him.  
"We could go to the beach."  
"That'd be great. I haven't done that in a while."  
"Great. I'll pick you up at around 4 o'clock then?"  
"Yeah."  
"Come on, let's get you home." he winked at me. What was that? It was just a wink. I'm getting in over my head anyway. Back off, Tobe. Simmer down a little. You're just friends. He understands that. Just keep it that way. You're better off. Once we arrived at Amy's, I looked over at him.  
"Thanks for everything. It was really great. I'll see you tomorrow then?"  
"Uh, yeah. Yeah."  
"Is something wrong?" I asked him.  
"No. No, I'm good." he nodded.  
"Okay, well, goodnight then. Oh, wait. Here's my number. Just text me tomorrow. Or whenever." I scribbled it on a scrap piece of paper from my purse & handed it to him.  
"Cool. I'll text you tomorrow. Night, October."  
"Night, Zack." I shut the door & walked up to Amy's & shut her door behind me. What. The. Fuck. At that moment, I made a promise to myself to not fall in love with him. The only problem was that I think I tripped. I was only on my way to falling.


	7. Danger Line

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "She's a keeper dude. Don't fuck this up."

Danger Line  
~October's P.O.V.~  
By the time I got home, Amy was already asleep.  
"Thank god." I thought to myself. The house was dimly lit with only a couple of lamps on making it a little hard for me to navigate to my room. Once there, I threw myself on my bed & laid there staring at the ceiling for a while, eventually falling asleep.  
~Zacky's P.O.V.~  
I wanted to kiss her so bad before she left, but this wasn't a date. Technically, it was, but she didn't want it to be. I can respect that. I can understand that. I think I've fallen for her just a little bit. I really wish I hadn't made that bet with Brian now. Who knows how many ways he can fuck this up for me. Well, I need to start being real with her now. If I want to make this work, I need to try to really win her over. She is special. To me. I really like this girl. I just hope the guys understand. Brian may not, but he can fuck off. I know the guys will back me up if need be. I couldn't wait until tomorrow so I called up Jimmy. He was always up late.  
"Hello?" he answered.  
"Hey, you busy, man? It's Zacky."  
"No, dude. Just sitting here watching tv. Come on over. Everything all right?" he asked me, concerned.  
"Yeah. I'm cool. I'll be over in a minute." I said before I hung up the phone. I drove over to his house & parked in the driveway. Before I even rung his doorbell, he opened the door.  
"Well, hello there! Why don't you come inside? Muah ha ha ha ha ha." Jimmy said in a dramatic tone.  
"Dude, I have a small problem." I walked in, rubbing the back of my neck nervously.  
"What's wrong?" We walked over to his living room & I sat in his recliner & he sat on his couch.  
"Do you remember that girl from The Black Cat?"  
"Yeah. What about her?"  
"I think I fell in love with her."  
"So? Why is that a problem?" he asked me, confused.  
"Brian & I had that bet."  
"Dude, you didn't fuck her, did you?" he asked me, knowingly.  
"I couldn't!"  
"What do you mean you couldn't? She cockblock you?"  
"No, she just has this thing about her. I don't know what it is, but I've been going nuts over her. She just got out of a bad relationship so she's not ready for another one or anything like that. We've just been talking really. She stayed the night at my house the other night because she was a little drunk & my place was closer. She stayed in the guest bedroom & nothing happened between us. I told Brian we fucked. Twice."  
"Fuck Brian. He can get right the fuck over that shit. If she makes you happy for whatever reason, you get on that shit. Don't let her go. Did you tell her about the bet?"  
"Hell no! That'd blow my chances with her."  
"Well, you need to start being honest with her. I know how you are with chicks dude."  
"I know, I know. I've had some pretty fucked up relationships, but I really like this girl. We're supposed to be going to the beach tomorrow, but I can't stop thinking about her. We went out for dinner earlier & we both had a great time."  
"I thought she didn't want a relationship."  
"She doesn't, but we just went as friends, I guess. It was a date, but she didn't want to think about it like that. She's special to me, Jimmy." I sighed, propping my feet up in the recliner.  
"Brian is gonna be so pissed when he hears about this, though. You can't hide this from him. He's gonna recognize her."  
"I know. Fuck!" I shouted, frustrated.  
"Maybe Matt can talk to him. You know Matt is really the only person who can get through to him."  
"I don't know, but I gotta do something." I said.  
"I know you, Zacky. You're never like this with chicks. You're kind of like Brian in a way. You find a girl, fuck her, forget about her, on to the next one. But Brian's a little colder & slightly more shallow than you."  
"Yeah, she, uh, she pointed that out on our 'date'. I mean, not that, but that rockstars did all that stuff, but that I seemed different. I told her I wasn't like other rockstars. I just want something more to fulfill me. I want a real relationship. I want a woman who wants me for me. Not Zacky Vengeance, but Zacky Baker. I swear she sees right through me. I don't know how she does it."  
"She's a keeper, dude. Don't fuck this up."  
"I know, I know. I'm probably going to or worse, Brian will. Fucker. Don't get me wrong, I love Brian like a brother, but he can really be such a dick sometimes."  
"Yeah, I think maybe the whole rockstar thing has gone to his head." Jimmy said, looking over at me.  
"Well, tomorrow, we're supposed to go to the beach, so hopefully he won't come down there. You can't tell the other guys. Not yet anyway. Brian would go psycho & it'd be all over for me."  
"I got your back, man. I'll do what I can. The knife master has got your back. Ha ha ha." Jimmy laughed.  
The next morning, I woke up & went downstairs to make breakfast. I wasn't sure I could wait until 4 to see October. I was so excited about today. It was going to be awesome. I tried passing time by playing my guitar, playing some Black Ops with Matt online, watching tv, & trying to figure out what I was going to wear.  
~October's P.O.V.~  
I woke up to the smell of breakfast so I rubbed the sleep out of my eyes & trudged down the hall to the kitchen.  
"How was it?" Amy asked me, without turning away from her pan of scrambled eggs.  
"I'd rather not talk about it." I sighed, knowing she was gonna give me the 3rd degree.  
"That bad, huh?"  
"No, no, no. It was romantic, actually. It was a date, but I told him I didn't want to think of it that way. We had a candle lit dinner & went up to Lover's Lane & enjoyed the view. It was great." I said, feeling my heart race a little bit.  
"Are you gonna see him again?"  
"We're going to the beach together today."  
"Okay then. Here you go. Eat up." she grinned, handing me a plate of eggs, bacon, & sausage.  
"Thanks. I'm starving." I said, scarfing down my food. We watched movies for a few hours & then I started getting ready before Zacky came to get me. I put on a black & white skull covered bikini with purple lace like ribbon along the bottom & the bottoms had the same print, but the purple lace like ribbon lined the top and tied at the side. I threw on some jean shorts & a white tank top, slipped into my purple flip flops, & then there was knocking at the door. I hurried to go answer it & when I opened it, it was Wil.  
"Hey, October." he grinned.  
"What are you doing here, Wil?" I asked him, frustrated.  
"I want to work things out. I've been going crazy without you. I need you."  
"No, you don't. I've moved on, Wil. It's over. Do you have my stuff?"  
"No, it's at my apartment still. Come with me & we can go get it."  
"I can't. I'm expecting someone to come pick me up."  
"Who?" he asked, sounding a little jealous. Then he pulled up.  
"Him." I grinned, waving to him. He gave me a confused look & I motioned for him to come to me.  
"Come on, babe. It's okay. I want you to meet someone." I called to him.  
"Hey, what's up?" he grinned, standing beside me.  
"Wil, this is my boyfriend, Zacky." I lied. I didn't look at Zacky, but I could tell he wasn't expecting to hear that.  
"Yeah, that's me." he chuckled, nervously.  
"Seriously? What the fuck, October?" Wil glared at me.  
"I told you Wil. I gave you chances & you wasted them. Now I'm with Zacky & he actually pays attention to me & he actually loves me. Sorry, but you're a little too late." I sighed, wrapping my arms around Zack's waist.  
"Fuck you then. You can come pick up your shit later. It'll be in a fuckin' cardboard box outside." he growled as he stormed off.  
"So that was Wil?" Zacky asked me.  
"Yeah. I'm really sorry about that. But thank you so much for playing it through with me. I'm sorry."  
"No, it's cool. Ha ha ha. He seemed like a tool anyway." he chuckled.  
"Not really. He just doesn't know how to be a good boyfriend." I sighed.  
"Well, aside from all of that, you look so good."  
"Well, thank you, Zacky Vengeance. I-" "Baker. My real name is Zacky Baker." he interrupted me.  
"Baker. You look like a Baker." I grinned, taking his arm & walking to the car.  
"I have towels, I have some drinks, & I even got some munchies for us for later."  
"You have come prepared good sir."  
"Of course ma' lady. One always comes prepared. Especially when in good company." he smiled at me as he sat in his driver's seat. Once we were at the beach, I got out of the car & stood, looking out at the water.  
"You ready to get wet?"  
"What?" I asked him.  
"You know get wet. Get in the water? You're dirty." he laughed, walking onto the sandy beach.  
"Well, you're the one who said it."  
"But you thought it." he pointed out.  
"Damn. Caught me." I snapped my fingers. He laid a blanket down & sat our drinks, our blankets, & our snacks down on top of it. I took off my shorts & my tank top & dropped them on the blanket. Zack was wearing black swim trunks with white lining & when he took his shirt off, I noticed he had a new looking green & black skull with bat wings.  
"That's an interesting tattoo." I said.  
"It's our band's symbol. We call it a Deathbat. Normally, it's black & white, but I love green, so I colored it green & black instead." he explained.  
"Come on." I said, holding out my hand as he took it. We ran for the water & splashed around for about half an hour before we decided to take a break on the blanket. Zack cracked open a beer & handed it to me, then opened one for himself. I started sipping my beer & then a breeze picked up making me shiver a little.  
"Here. Put this on." Zack said, wrapping a towel around my shoulders.  
"Thanks." I grinned, looking into his eyes.  
"Oh, fuck." he whispered, closing his eyes.  
"You motherfucker!" I heard a voice behind me say.  
"Hey guys." Zack waved.  
~Zacky's P.O.V.~  
Brian you fuck. What the hell? They still showed up at the beach.  
"What's up, dude?" Brian said as he walked over with the guys. I looked at Jimmy & he mouthed the words 'I'm sorry'.  
"Hey, guys. This is October. October, this is Matt, Johnny, Jimmy, & Brian. The whole gang." I sighed, scared of what Brian might say to her.  
"Hey." they all said with a welcoming grin. I nonchalantly walked over to Jimmy & quietly asked him what had happened.  
"I tried to get them to do something else. Go somewhere else, but Brian was determined to go to the damn beach today. I am so sorry, dude."  
"It's okay. You tried, man. Thanks anyway." I whispered. Fuck, Brian. What the hell, dude?  
"Great minds think alike." Brian laughed, carrying a case of beer over to our blanket.  
"Yeah, I guess so." I chuckled, nervously. Everyone grabbed a bottle & cracked it open, sipping as we sat around just talking.  
"I'm getting back in the water. You coming Zack?" she asked me, slipping her towel off.  
"Yeah. Come on. Later guys." I nodded as I took her hand & we ran towards the water.  
"You okay?" she asked me as we splashed into the water.  
"Yeah. I just wasn't expecting them to be here. I kind of just wanted it to be me & you today."  
"I think they seem pretty cool, though."  
"Oh they are. I mean, they're my best friends, but ya know, I just hang around them all the time. I just need a break sometimes. Know what I mean?" I asked her.  
"Yeah." she grinned, splashing me.  
"You're gonna pay for that." I laughed, splashing her back.  
"Let's go, Baker! Come on. Let's see what you got." she laughed. Her laugh was so cute. I swam over to her & sent a huge wave of water splashing onto her. I was the water fight king, you could say. For the next few minutes, we just kept splashing each other back & forth. We even wrestled a little bit & she actually had a little bit of strength in her for a girl. I was impressed. When we were done, we walked back to our blanket where the guys were still sitting & drinking.  
"Hey, loverboy." Brian called out to me.  
"Shut up, Brian." I heard Matt whisper to him. Brian just shrugged & finished off his beer. We hung out there for little while longer & then we decided it was time for us to go.  
"Will we see you guys later? Val & I are having drinks at our house later." Matt asked me. I looked at October & she nodded, grinning.  
"Yeah."  
"Awesome. Let's party." Brian laughed.  
"No, Brian. It's just gonna be Zacky, October, Val & I. Sorry, guys."  
"Jimmy, you want to have some drinks later?" Brian asked him.  
"I got stuff I got to do, bro. Sorry." Brian looked at the other guys & they shook their heads.  
"What the fuck, guys?" Brian said, pissed off.  
"Brian, chill the fuck out, dude."  
"Fuck this. I'll go home & drink by myself." he shouted as he stormed off.  
"Don't mind him. Brian's just a dick because he drank too much." Matt assured me.  
"Thanks, man." I told him before waving to the guys & heading out.  
"You've got some pretty great friends." she smiled, warmly at me.  
"Yeah, I know. Do you wanna go back to my place until we leave for Matt & Val's?" I asked her.  
"Sure. That'd be good. I really don't feel like getting the 3rd degree from Amy right now." she chuckled. I drove over to my house & parked the car, then got out to open her door. We walked inside & I showed her around.  
"Aw, look at you guys. This must have been when you guys were in high school, right?" she asked me, pointing to a picture frame in the hallway I had up of me & the guys.  
"Yeah. Man, that was a long time ago. I think that was right after we picked out our band name. If we hadn't picked Avenged Sevenfold, we would've been called Lips Of Deceit." I said, reminiscing on that time.  
"This picture was after our first gig at Chain Reaction. It was fucking terrible. We got booed off stage, but look at us now. We're practically a household name." I laughed.  
"You guys have come a long way." she said, scanning the pictures.  
"Come here. I want to show you something." I said, leading her to my bedroom. I had a bunch of picture frames with more pictures of us guys, a couple trophy's we'd won, & big picture of our Deathbat on my wall next to my dresser.  
"Oh, wow. You guys are pretty big, huh?" she asked me with wide eyes.  
"Yeah. There's a lot of good memories on this wall. Back when Brian wasn't such a douche rocket." I sighed, shaking my head.  
"What's his deal if you don't mind my asking?"  
"We don't know. We all think that this whole rockstar lifestyle went to his head. He wasn't like this before the fame, before the money. He does what he's supposed to do, though. It's just off stage that he acts like that." I found my photo albums & we went through them for a few hours until I realized what time it was.  
"You ready to head over there?" I asked her.  
"Yeah. Oh wait. Damn. I need some clothes. I can't wear this."  
"If you want, I can give you a shirt of mine & I might have some pants that fit you." I offered.  
"Yeah. That'd work." she grinned, sheepishly. I ran up to my closet & found a black Metallica t shirt & some black & grey plaid pants for her.  
"Are you just going to wear your flip flops?" I asked, handing her the clothes.  
"Yeah. It'll be fine. Thanks for the clothes."  
"I don't know if they'll fit, but we look about the same size. You can change in my room if you want. I'll wait for you in the living room." I said as I sat down on the couch, turning on the tv.  
~October's P.O.V.~  
Zacky gave me some clothes to change into in his room, so I walked in & shut the door behind me. I couldn't help, but to inhale his scent when I walked in. I wasn't sure what it was, cologne or just him, but it smelled good.  
"His clothes smell good, too. Damn it, October. Knock it off. Get real." I said, snapping to reality. I hurried & changed into his clothes & walked into the living room to meet him.  
"Do they fit?" he asked, looking over at me.  
"Yeah. They fit just fine." I grinned, turning around. I could tell he was scanning me all over.  
"Well, come on. Let's go. Matt just texted me, asking where we were."  
"So what's Val like?" I asked him, curiously.  
"Valary is nothing short of awesome. Her & Matt have been together for about 12 years now. They've known each other for what seems like forever. She's like a sister to us all. I'm sure she'll love you. She's just the kindest person you could ever hope to meet." he explained as he drove towards their house. Once we were there, Zacky opened my door for me & we walked up to the house, arms linked. He rang the doorbell & a tall blonde woman answered.  
"Zacky! Hey! It's been a while. You must be Zacky's girlfriend. October, right?" she asked me with a welcome smile.  
"Yeah, but we're not together. We're...just friends." I paused, looking over at him.  
"Oh. Well, still. It's great to meet you. Come on in, guys." We walked in & Matt was in the kitchen making drinks.  
"Vengeance, my brother. Come in here & taste this. Good stuff." Matt called out.  
"I'm comin'." he replied as I followed him with Valary behind me.  
"What is that?" he asked Matt.  
"This, my friend, is Grey Goose vodka mixed with some Red Bull & some Gatorade. Red, obviously. But try it." Zack took the glass, sipped it, & nodded.  
"Not bad, not bad." he said.  
"Vodka is obviously there to get you drunk, Red Bull will keep you active & awake, & the Gatorade will keep you hydrated. Brian needs to drink this shit." Matt explained.  
"Here, try some." Zack handed me the glass. I sipped it & I thought it tasted pretty good, so I nodded in agreement.  
"I'll just stick to my red wine. You guys can have that weird concoction." Valary laughed. We all grabbed our drinks & walked out to the patio in the back of the house & sat around a shaded glass table.  
"So how are you two? You've been practically inseparable the last few days." Matt asked us.  
"We're good. We're just friends." I said.  
"We really like being around each other. It's nothing serious."  
"Well, you two look really cute together." Valary grinned, sipping her wine. We talked for a few more hours & then Zacky dropped me off at home.  
"I'll text you later." Zacky said as he parked outside of Amy's house.  
"Okay. Yeah, sounds good. Thanks. Good night, Zack." I said, nervously as I kissed his cheek & got out of the car. I could see him blush before I got out, though. Once inside Amy's, I started thinking that I should just let it go. There's no fighting it. If it's meant to be, just let it be. Amy was already asleep, thankfully, so I went to my room & crashed on my bed. About ten minutes later, I got a text.  
"Hey pretty girl. ;-)" It was Zack.  
"Hey, Zack."  
"I had a great time today."  
"I did, too. We should do it again. Really soon."  
"Yeah, totally. I'd like that."  
"Great. :-)"  
"Can I ask you something?" I texted him, nervously.  
"Yeah, of course."  
"I think I like you. A lot." I waited for a few minutes & I was starting to feel dumb for saying because I thought maybe he didn't feel the same way.  
"I like you a lot, too. I have for a while, actually. :-D" I let out a sigh of relief & a huge smile spread across my face.  
"Well, I just wanted to tell you that. Thanks, Zack. I'm going to bed. Night." & With that, I laid my phone down next to me & laid my head on my pillow, but before I closed my eyes, Zack texted me one final time.  
"I'm glad we feel the same way. I can't wait to see you again. I'll text you tomorrow."


	8. Warmness on the Soul

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "I have a surprise for you tonight. Be ready by 7."

Warmness On The Soul  
~October's P.O.V.~  
I woke up the next morning feeling so warm & happy inside. I sat up in bed & checked my phone, seeing a text from Zacky.  
"I have a surprise for you tonight. Be ready by 7." I smiled from ear to ear after reading it.  
"What am I doing?" I asked myself, hanging my head in my hands.  
"Hey girl!" Amy smiled, sliding into my room on the slick floor in her socks.  
"Oh god." I chuckled.  
"You knew it was coming so go on."  
"We had a great time as usual. I met his friends & I, uh, well, I told Zacky I liked him. A lot."  
"Does he like you too?" she asked, her eyes widening. I just nodded, excitedly.  
"AAAAAAHHHH!!!!" she screamed & hugged me.  
"Yeah, well, nothing has happened yet. I told him through text last night."  
"Seriously? What's wrong with you? You can't do that? That's something you are supposed to say to his face!"  
"I know, I know. But he said he has a surprise for me tonight. I'm supposed to be ready by 7."  
"Oh my god. We have to doll you up big time."  
"No, no. Tonight, I'm picking my outfit. He doesn't like me for my clothes, Amy."  
"Well, yeah, but you have to look good."  
"I know, but I'll pick it out. I'll do my make up. It'll be fine. Don't worry." I grinned.  
"Wait a minute, are those his-oh my god! You guys fucked, didn't you?"  
"Oh no. No, no, no, & again, no. We went to the beach & Matt asked if Zacky & I wanted to go to Matt & Val's house for drinks. Zacky just let me borrow some clothes. That's it."  
"Right." she grinned, knowingly.  
"There's nothing to tell, Amy." I sighed.  
"I can't wait to see you tonight." I texted Zack.  
"Me neither. Tonight will be very interesting. ;-)" he texted me back. Damn you, Zacky Baker.  
"Well, I'm going to get dressed & go over to Wil's to get my things." I told Amy.  
"Are you going to be okay?" she asked me.  
"I'll be fine." I assured her.  
"Okay. Just be careful. He's crazy about you, ya know."  
"I know he is. I'm just getting my things & leaving." I ate some breakfast, got dressed into a Bullet For My Valentine t shirt with a black vest with offwhite pinstripes, cherry red skinny jeans, & my black & red World Industry skate shoes. I also put some black eyeliner on with a little red smokey eyeshadow.  
"I'm leaving." I shouted to her in the kitchen.  
"Okay, hun. Bye. Have fun!"  
"I'm just going to pick up my stuff. What's so fun about that?" I asked her.  
"I don't know. Ha ha. Just be careful."  
"I will, mother." I sighed, shaking my head. I walked out the door & started walking down the street to where Wil lived, which wasn't very far. It took me about twenty minutes, but once I was at his doorstep, I had a feeling of dread come over me. But I knocked & waited for the inevitable.  
"Did you come for your shit finally?" he answered.  
"Yeah." I said, quietly.  
"Come on in. I already have it in boxes. I didn't leave it outside like I said because I was afraid someone would steal your stuff."  
"Why do you care?" I asked him, walking in.  
"I don't. But I didn't want to have to hear you bitch & complain about it." he said, shutting the door behind him.  
"Is this everything?"  
"It's all in that one box. Everything."  
"Well, thanks. I'm just gonna leave now." I said as I picked it up & started walking towards the door.  
"I still love you, though. Through everything & despite the fact that you're with Zane or whatever his name is."  
"It's Zack & I know you do. I love you, too, Wil, but we just need to go our seperate ways."  
"What if I can't?"  
"What do you mean?"  
"You're my everything. I'm never going to be able to find someone else like you. You're that special one of a kind girl you only find once in a lifetime. I fucked it up & now you're gone."  
"Wil, we've talked about this. You had chances. You did. You had plenty. You just can't seem to change."  
"Can we still be friends? At least give me that."  
"Yeah, I suppose. But that's it. No more than that." I sighed.  
"Thanks. Well, I guess I'll let you go now. Tobe, if you ever need anything, don't hesitate to ask. Okay?" he whispered, getting close to me.  
"I gotta go now, Wil."  
"October." I looked back at him.  
"I'm serious."  
"Okay. Yeah. Thanks, Wil." I nodded with a small smile. He opened the door for me & I walked out, carrying the box with me. I carried it home & left it with Amy, telling her I'd probably be back after Zacky dropped me off. I grabbed my iPod & walked back out of the house, on my way to the pier. I had downloaded some Avenged Sevenfold onto it so I could listen to their music since I had never heard them before the concert at the bar. I finally reached the pier & had listened to a few songs & really loved them. They were so good & the guitar was incredible. They were all so talented. I sat at the very end of the pier with my legs hanging off the edge & just stared out over the water. I don't know quite how long I sat there just staring out over the water, but my phone woke me from my trance.  
"Hey beautiful. Where are you?" It was Zacky.  
"The pier. :-)" I texted him back.  
"Well, your surprise starts now. Go to Stacey's salon. Your next clue will be revealed there." he texted.  
"Where are you?" I texted him back.  
"It doesn't matter where I am. What matters is that you follow my directions. Chop, chop October. :-)"  
"Oh Zacky. What are you up to?" I thought to myself. I followed his instructions & went to Stacey's salon.  
"Are you October?" a red head behind the counter asked me as I walked in.  
"Yeah. I am." I told her, a little surprised.  
"This is for you." she grinned, handing me a rectangular box. I opened the box & it was a long, hot pink dress with a gathered skirt that had silver star buttons holding the bunches together. Under the dress was a pair of black flats with a small black bow.  
"Are you ready?" the red head asked me.  
"For what?" I gave her a confused look.  
"To get your hair and nails done of course."  
"But I don't have any money."  
"It's already been paid for." she smiled, motioning towards a chair for me to sit down in.  
"By who?"  
"Mr. Baker. Would you like to change first or after? It's up to you. I would recommend first, so you don't ruin your nails trying to get it on."  
"I'll change first then & get it over with." I said, walking to the back to the bathroom. I changed into the dress & shoes & my jaw dropped. It was so gorgeous & elegant. I felt like a princess. When I walked back out, she started doing my hair. She did it up into a messy bun with a couple curls, but left parts fall on either sides of my face. When she did my nails after, she painted them hot pink with black tips.  
"This is also for you." she said, handing me an envelope afterwards.  
"Now that you are dolled up, I need you to walk outside. There, you will see a black car. In the car will be a man name Berry. Tell him who you are & he will do the rest." Once again, I followed the instructions & sure enough, there was a black car waiting for me.  
"Are you Berry?" I asked him through the cracked window. He rolled it down all the way.  
"That depends. Are you October?" he asked me, looking over at me.  
"Yes."  
"Then yes, I'm Berry. Get in. In the back." he motioned for me. I climbed in the backseat. There was another envelope beside me.  
"If you're reading this, you've found Berry & you're on your way to your next destination. Just sit tight & wait until Berry stops the car again. He will give you your next clue." He drove for what seemed like forever & it finally started getting dark. Then he parked the car.  
"Get out of the car & I can walk you the rest of the way. It's not far from here." Berry told me, looking at me through the rearview mirror.  
"But we're in the middle of nowhere." I told him, confused.  
"Just trust me." he grinned, opening his door. I did as he said & I followed him, picking up my skirt so it didn't drag along the ground. We kept walking for a while & then I saw a something glowing in the distance. We were getting closer & we finally stopped. There was a table with a dark red table cloth on it, 2 table settings, a few lit tea lights, & a bucket of ice with a bottle of champagne in it, chilling. All underneath a star lit sky.  
"Wait here." Berry told me before he started walking away. I stood there, nervously looking around & fidgeting with my dress. Then I heard some twigs snapping nearby. I quickly turned my head & I didn't see anyone or anything.  
"You like it?" I heard a familiar voice behind me.  
"Of course. It's-it's really romanctic." I grinned, sheepishly turning around.  
"I thought maybe you would." It was Zacky. He was dressed in a blue-ish grey button up shirt, some dark, nice looking jeans, & some black dress shoes. He took my hand & twirled me around a couple of times & said, "You look so very beautiful."  
"You really didn't have to do all this." I blushed, looking down nervously. He touched my chin, bringing my face to meet his.  
"I don't have to do a lot of things." he whispered. He led me over to the table & we sat down. He poured us some champagne & then Berry came back over with two circular covered trays. Setting them down in front of us, he said, "Compliments of Zacky Baker. Bon appetit lovebirds."  
"Thanks, Berry." Zack laughed as Berry walked away.  
"So you made this?" I asked him.  
"Yeah. I'm really great at cooking, actually." he grinned, taking the lids off of our plates. It was chicken parmesan over a bed of spaghetti noodles, but it looked so good.  
"Oh my." I grinned. We started eating & it was so yummy.  
"So what do you think?" he asked me, taking a sip from his glass.  
"This is great. I love it." I chuckled, wiping some sauce from my mouth. We finished eating & Berry came back & cleared our table.  
"Where did you come from?" I asked him, surprised.  
"It's a secret." Zacky whispered with a smile. He stood up & held out his hand to me. I took it & he walked me over to a hard surface on the ground.  
"You put a dancefloor out here?" I asked him, curiously. Then I heard Warmness On The Soul start playing nearby.  
"Would you care to dance with me?" he asked, taking my hand. I couldn't even say anything. I just nodded excitedly. We started dancing around the small dancefloor under the stars & then Crimson Day started playing. After that song was over, Berry came back over & took apart the small dancefloor squares & underneath that was a big blanket. Zacky & I laid down beside each other, staring up at the stars, & holding each other's hand.  
"I need to ask you a serious question, October." he said, sitting up & leaning on his elbow.  
"What is it?" I asked him, still laying down, but looking up at him.  
"I know we've only each other for a short time, but I have deep, sincere feelings for you. I want to be more than just friends. Will you make me the happiest guy in the world & be my girlfriend?" he asked me, looking deeply into my eyes. I was speechless for a minute or two.  
"So is that a no?" he asked me, nervously.  
"No, I mean yes. Oh my god. I mean, yes I will. Yeah." I smiled, sitting up & giving him a hug. He wrapped his arms around me & I could hear him breathe out a sigh of relief. We sat there on the blanket for a little while longer & I started shivering a little bit.  
"Here. Put this on." he said, wrapping another small blanket around my shoulders. He then sat behind me, wrapped his arms around me, & I leaned back into him.  
"Have I already told you how wonderful you look tonight?" he asked me.  
"Yeah, but I like hearing you say it, though." I chuckled.  
"Well, you look absolutely angelic."  
"I don't know about that."  
"I do." he told me, touching my chin to bring my face closer to his. We sat there for a few seconds & we both knew we were thinking the same thing. He slowly leaned in closer & closer to me until finally his lips met mine. His snakebites were cold on my skin, but his lips were so warm. This wasn't just any kiss, either. It was one of those fireworks kisses. He finally pulled away & my heart was racing at the speed of light.  
~Zacky's P.O.V.~  
I finally surprised her & she seemed to love it. I asked her to be my girlfriend & she said yes & then I kissed her & damn. I don't think I've ever felt my heart race so fast. It was intense. She was definately someone special if she could make me feel this way. I just couldn't help feeling this way about her. I couldn't wait to tell everybody. Well, everybody except for Brian. He was pretty wasted that night when he first saw her, so maybe he wouldn't recognize her. Either way, October was mine & I was not about to let her go. We sat on the blanket under the stars for a while longer until finally it started getting pretty cold out & we decided to leave. I took her home, but before she went inside, she kissed me goodnight & then went inside. I don't think I can ever get enough of her kisses. She tastes so sweet, but it's a taste all her own. Whatever it is, I like it.


	9. Second Heartbeat

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "She's all yours now, Zack. You're lucky so don't fuck this up, dude."

Second Heartbeat  
~October's P.O.V~  
When I returned home, Amy was still up. She was waiting to, once again, give me the 3rd degree.  
"So?" she asked, excitedly.  
"Well, it was very romantic to say the least." I smiled.  
"Where did the dress come from?" she asked, confused.  
"Zacky, actually. So, he texted me & told me to go to Stacey's salon. He paid for me to get my hair & nails done and he bought me this dress & these black flats. Then his friend, Berry came & picked me up, we drove around for a while, then he took out to, basically the middle of nowhere. There was a table set up for two with little tea lights & champagne."  
"Oh my god!" she shrieked.  
"Then Zacky came out of nowhere & we drank some champagne, ate some Chicken Parmesan he'd made, & then he had a small dance floor set up out there. We danced & oh goodness, he's a great dancer. Then we laid under the stars &..." I trailed off.  
"What? What? What?" she asked me, barely able to contain herself.  
"He asked me to be his girlfriend!" I smiled, excitedly.  
"AAAAAAHHHHH!" she screamed as she ran over to hug me.  
"Yeah, I was pretty excited about it, too." I chuckled, hugging her back.  
"That's awesome. He seems like a great guy."  
"Oh he's wonderful. & He's a great kisser, too." I said, quietly.  
"He kissed you, too?" her jaw dropped.  
"Yeah. It was amazing. I could hear fireworks & everything. It was great."  
"I'm sure that's not the only thing he's good at if you catch my drift."  
"Amy!" I chuckled, nudging her.  
~Zacky's P.O.V.~  
I woke up the next morning in the greatest mood I've been in for a long time. Remembering the night before, a huge smile spread across my face.  
"She's all yours now, Zack. You're lucky so don't fuck this up, dude." I told myself before sitting up. Then Matt texted me.  
"Hey, dude. When you get this, I need you to call me. ASAP. It's important." Wondering what it could possibly be, I called him right after I read it.  
"Zack, dude. What's up?" Matt answered.  
"Hey, I got your text. Everything okay?" I asked him worriedly.  
"Yeah, everything's fine. I just wanted to tell you that we are scheduled to go on tour in a few days across the U.S. Dude, it's going to be awesome."  
"A few days?"  
"Yeah. What?"  
"I, uh, well, I, I need to talk to you & the guys. Well, except for Brian."  
"Are you okay?" he asked me, sounding slightly worried.  
"Never been better, actually."  
"Well, we can all get together at Jimmy's later if you want."  
"That'd be great."  
"Is October coming with you?"  
"No, not this time." I replied.  
"Well, head on over to Jimmy's at about 3 & we'll all be there." Matt said before we said our goodbyes & hung up. Later that day, we all met up at Jimmy's. Matt and Jimmy sat on the couch in front of me & Johnny sat in the recliner when I started talking.  
"I have brought you all here today to tell you that I finally asked her out. October is officially my girlfriend now."  
"Whoo hoo! Good for you, bro." Matt smiled. Jimmy & Johnny congratulated me also with smiles of proudness.  
"So I have an idea now that you two are together now. Valary is coming with us on tour. Why don't you bring along October, too?" Matt suggested.  
"Really? That'd be awesome. Her & Val could spend some girl time together while we're doing our thing."  
"Yeah, she's cool, anyway. That'd be great. Invite her along." Johnny chimed in.  
"I think she'd be up for it. I can tell her & Val get along great & I really don't want to leave her behind after I just asked her out."  
"So have you told her?" Johnny asked me.  
"About what?" I asked him, confused.  
"Thet bet." he answered.  
"You didn't, did you?" Jimmy asked me.  
"Not yet. I haven't been able to. I literally just asked her out last night. We haven't even been dating for a full 24 hours yet."  
"Zack, you gotta come clean with this shit. She'd probably take it better if you told her rather than finding out from someone else." Matt explained.  
"I know, I know. I really don't want to lose her, guys." I sighed, feeling guilty.  
"We know, dude. Brian is not going to be happy about this if he finds out." Johnny warned.  
"Yeah, but he was so fucking wasted that night, he may not remember her." I told him.  
"You'd better hope not." Jimmy chuckled. Later that night, I called October to tell her about the tour.  
"Hey, handsome." she answered.  
"Hey, beautiful. I have to ask you something."  
"Yeah, anything. What's on your mind?"  
"Well, we're going to be leaving to go on tour in a few days. Would you be interested in coming along with us?"  
"Oh my god! Seriously?"  
"Well, yeah. Valary is coming, too, so you won't be the only girl hanging out with us & you won't be alone when we're busy."  
"Yeah! I'd love to. That'd be incredible." she laughed, obviously excited. I explained to her the specifics & whatnot & then told her I'd text her later on that night.  
A few days later, it was time to head out for the tour. I dropped by October's to pick her up & she was looking beautiful as usual. Her hair was straightened & she was wearing a white A7X shirt with a huge Deathbat on the front with some black skinny jeans & some purple flip flops.  
"Hey, sweetheart." she grinned as she got into my car.  
"Hey, cutie." I replied, winking at her. We met the guys at Jimmy's & left in the tour bus. Everything was on the bus, ready to go. Once we were on the road, Brian looked at October.  
"Who's she?"  
"This is my girlfriend, October."  
"October. The girl from the beach?" he asked.  
"Yeah." I grinned, putting my arm around her.  
"Whoa, Zacky's off the market now. No strippers for you. Sorry, bud." Brian laughed.  
"I'm okay with that." I smiled.  
"Ya know, you look really familiar. I just can't figure out where I've seen you before." Brian said, stroking his chin.  
"You don't know her." Johnny piped up.  
"Well, how did you guys meet?" Brian asked us. Shit.  
"We were Guitar Center when I was looking for a new guitar pedal a few weeks ago. We started talking & hit it off from there." I lied.  
"You play?" Brian looked at me.  
"A little. I really love to go into Guitar Center & check out what they have." she said. Okay, Brian. Shut up now. Luckily, he got distracted by something else & forgot about October. We had a long road ahead of us, but it was going to be awesome. Well, for me & Matt anyways. When we finally reached our destination in Reno, Nevada, we were all pretty relieved. We found our hotel & luckily, it had a pool & hot tub we could all chill out in.


	10. And All Things Will End

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Will October discover the truth or will Zacky tell her himself?

And All Things Will End  
~October's P.O.V.~  
So Zacky asked me to go on tour with him which is awesome. This is going to be great. I'll get to see him everyday & Valary is going, too, so I won't be the only girl there. When we finally reached our hotel, Zacky & I went to look for our room. Matt & Val had their own, Jimmy & Johnny shared a room, & Brian was all by himself in his own room. He was kinda pissed off about it, but like always, he got over it eventually. Once we were in our hotel rooms, Zacky shut the door behind him as I was standing in front of the window.  
"Enjoying the view. I know I am." he said as he came up behind me & kissed my neck.  
"You're naughty." I chuckled.  
"Only for you, pretty girl." he kissed my cheek. We sat on the bed & started watching tv until there was a knock at the door. Zacky looked through the peephole.  
"It's Johnny." Zack told me, opening the door.  
"Hey, we're all going down for a swim in a bit. You guys coming?"  
"Yeah. We'll be down in a bit." Zacky nodded before closing the door.  
"Hear that?" he asked me.  
"Yeah. I did. Sounds good." I grinned. We both got dressed into our swim wear & headed downstairs to the pool, hand in hand.  
"Hey, look. The lovebirds decided to join us." Johnny said, pointing to us.  
"Fuck you, Johnny." Zack laughed, taking his shirt off. I took off my towel & laid it beside Zacky's shirt, slipping off my flip flops beside the chair. Once again, I was wearing my black, white, & purple skull covered bikini & he was in his black & white swim trunks. I toed the water to check the temperature. I was getting ready to get in when someone picked me up & threw me in.  
"I got her! Ha ha ha!" Jimmy laughed.  
"You're gonna get it now."  
"I'm shaking. Bring it midget." he chuckled, jumping in after me. We had a splash fight which turned into a splash war with everyone. All of us were splashing each other. We had probably been playing around for about an hour or so when I decided to get out. Wrapping a towel around me, I sat down next to where Zack had laid his shirt. Slowly, one after the other, they all started getting out.  
"I think we beat them." Valary laughed, looking at me.  
"I think we did, too, but we can't let them know that." I chuckled.  
"Are you ready to go back up to the room?" Zack asked me.  
"Yeah, actually."   
"Come on. Let's go." he grinned, grabbing his shirt.  
"Later, Vengeance." Matt said to him.  
"Later, guys." Zack replied.  
"Actually, October. Would you mind coming to me & Matt's room for a minute? I want to show you something." Valary said.  
"Yeah. I can do that."  
"Zack, I need to talk to you by the way." Brian called out after him.  
"Come on, dude. We'll go to my room & talk then." he said as Brian chased after him. I went up with Val & Matt to their room to see what was up & Valary had a couple of Avenged Sevenfold t shirts she thought would fit me.  
"I know you don't have very much of their stuff & I don't really wear it anymore. Do you want it?" she asked me.  
"Yeah. I'll definitely take it." I grinned, taking the shirts. I tried them on & they fit great. I stayed in their room for a little while longer, just chatting with Val & Matt when I decided to go back to me & Zacky's room. I walked up to our door & it was cracked. I could hear Brian & Zacky talking.  
"I know where I know her from now, Zack." Brian said.  
"What are you talking about? You don't know her. You've never seen her before in your life. She probably just looks like someone you used to know."  
"No, no, no. That was that girl from the club that night. You remember. I know you do. We had a bet. I don't think you actually fucked her. You're a liar."  
"I didn't lie. She really did go home with me."  
"But you guys didn't fuck. That was the bet, asshole. Not getting her back to your place & then going to sleep. Nice try, though, dick."  
"You're such a fucking douche."  
"Well, I'm a sexy dick, though. Dude, you're a rock star now. You don't need a girlfriend."  
"We haven't known each other for that long, but I really like her."  
"No, you don't. You just want to get into her pants." Brian laughed.  
"Well, yeah. That'd be nice." Zacky chuckled. Then I opened the door with tears streaming down my face.  
"Oh shit." Zacky said, closing his eyes in shame.  
"Fuck you. Fuck this. Go fuck yourself, prick." I growled, turning around & walking down the hall.  
"October, wait." Zack called after me.  
"Let her go, dude. She's just another hoe." Brian laughed.  
"I'm going to fucking kill you, dude. You are so fucking dead." Zacky shouted, angrily.


	11. The Fight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "...I can't possibly fuck shit up more than I already have."

The Fight  
~Zacky's P.O.V.~  
"What are you going to do?" Brian stood there in front of me, hands on his hips, waiting for me to make a move.  
"I knew I should never have made that bet with you."  
"Oh grow a pair, Vengeance. She ain't nothing special. She doesn't give a damn about you. This is what every girl out there wants. She wants a piece of us. Us as rock stars."  
"She's not like that."  
"Give me 5 minutes with her. I can change that shit real quick." he laughed. I'd had enough. I lunged for his throat & threw him to the ground.  
"You are such a fucking dick! No one fucking likes you! You ruin every fucking thing! You're fucking selfish & don't give a fuck about anyone but yourself! Fuck you!" I shouted, feeling more angry than I've ever felt before. I started punching him in the face & then he managed to stop me after two blows & flipped me over & held my hands down with his knees. He punched me back a few times so I kneed him in his back really hard causing him to fall forward in pain. I was able to flip him over me & I stood up, staring down at him. He knelt there on the ground, looking up at me, anger in his eyes.  
"You have no idea what you're getting yourself into here." Brian laughed, wiping the blood from his busted lip.  
"Bring it on, bitch." I scoffed. He ran towards me & I moved just fast enough for him fall right past me into the wall. I kicked him in his stomach a few times until Matt ran in & saw what had happened.  
"Zack! What the fuck, man?"  
"Brian fucks up everything! I'm giving that dickhead what he fucking deserves! Get the fuck off me!" I growled, breaking free of Matt's grip.  
"You're just a little bitch. I can take you." Brian said, breathlessly.  
"You fuckers need to cool it. What the hell happened?" Matt asked us, standing between us.  
"Well, Brian wanted to talk to me about October. He recognized her from that night at the club, my door was cracked, & October heard everything. She heard about the bet & told me to fuck off & walked off."  
"I fucking told you not to fuck this up, Baker!" Matt yelled.  
"I was going to tell her! You know what? Fuck you, guys!" I shouted, walking out of my hotel room, slamming the door behind me.  
"Zack! Get back here!" Matt shouted after me, but I just kept on walking without looking back. I kept on walking until I was outside by the pool. October just so happened to be there, too. She looked over at me.  
"What do you want, douche?" she snapped at me.  
"I wanted to say I'm sorry. I meant to tell you." I told her in a low voice as I walked over to her.  
"Is that why you asked me out? So you could fucking keep your bet with Brian going?"  
"No! Of course not." I told her, shamefully, kneeling down beside her in her chair.  
"How do I know that? For all I know, you could be going behind my back to fuck some other bitch."  
"October, you are the only girl for me. I promise."  
"Whatever."  
"I...I love you, October." I could tell she was a little taken aback.  
"I don't believe you. You're a liar. I'm catching the next bus back to California. I'm going home as soon as I can."  
"No, you can't leave. I want to fix this." I begged her.  
"Fuck you, Zack." she said as she stood up & walked away. Good fucking job, Vengeance. You really fucked shit up this time. I took a walk around the streets for a couple of hours & stopped on my way back at a place called Red's Liquor. I was going to get shitfaced tonight. I had to. When I finally got back to my hotel room, I closed the door behind me & locked it. I immediately cracked open my first bottle of Jack Daniel's whiskey. I bought 3 bottles just to be sure I had enough. I was going to drink myself into a coma if I could. Then someone started knocking on my door.  
"Go the fuck away! I'm busy!" I shouted, taking another big swig of whiskey.  
"Zacky, open up the door, man." I heard Jimmy say from the other side.  
"I'm drinking, Jimmy. Fuck the fuck off!" I shouted, taking a few gulps of whiskey. I finally heard him walk away & I sank down onto the bed. This was going to be a long night. I started chugging my whiskey & her face filled my head again. I put the bottle to my lips again & I noticed that tears were falling down my face. Wiping the tears from my face, I started chugging the bottle again. Hours had passed & I opened my eyes. I had passed out on the floor. I don't remember anything but from when I started drinking earlier. I looked out the window & it was dark. It was night time. I drunkenly stumbled over to my door, unlocking it & opening it. Looking either way down the hall, it was empty. But there was a note on my door. 'Everyone's going out to dinner. October is staying with Johnny & I in our room. Whenever you decide to come out, call one of us. We all need to talk. - Jimmy'  
"Fuck you, guys. I don't need this shit." I thought as I walked back in the room, grabbed my wallet & walked back out, shutting the door behind me. I stumbled down the hall & found the elevator, then pressed the button. Waiting there, I could tell I was super drunk. Then the doors opened, everyone was inside, waiting to come out.  
"Hey, everybody. How ya doin'?" I drunkenly laughed. They just ignored me & walked right past me to their rooms, even October.  
"Well, fuck you guys, then." I shouted at them, walking into the elevator. But before the doors closed, Brian entered.  
"Where ya going?" he asked me.  
"I don't know. I just need to get out of here." I sighed.  
"Let's go to a bar, pick up some chicks, & bring them back here. It'll be great." Brian laughed, putting his arm around me.  
"Sure, why not? I can't possibly fuck shit up more than I already have."  
"That's the rock star spirit!" Brian nudged me, playfully. This was probably a bad idea, but I was too drunk to care. Brian & I caught a cab & they took us to a bar downtown. We were there for about an hour before we found a couple of girls to take back with us.  
The next morning, I woke up in a bed next to Brian's, naked, with a naked chick cuddled up to me.  
"Fuck!" I sighed, realizing what I'd done. I slowly & quietly sat up & the girl woke up.  
"Hey, baby." she smiled, trying to kiss me.  
"No. Quit." I swatted her away, standing up. I then started to look for my boxers. Luckily, they were at the side of the bed on the floor. I put them on & then went to find my pants, which were in the bathroom in the tub. Thankfully, it was dry, though. My shirt was in the closet & my shoes & socks were under the table in the corner. Without saying a word, I walked out of Brian's room & went back to mine.  
"I am such a fucking idiot." I sighed, sitting on the edge of the bed, hanging my head in my hands, my mind racing. I had to get her back so I ran out to the hallway to find Jimmy & Johnny's room. I knocked, hurriedly & Johnny answered.  
"Can I talk to October?" I asked him.  
"I'm sorry, Zack, but she already left for California."  
"Damn it!" I shouted, punching the nearby wall. With my back against it, I slid down & broke into tears.  
"Sorry, dude. She was pretty upset about the whole thing." Jimmy said as he walked out & knelt down in front of me.  
"It doesn't matter now. I'm just going to have to let her go." I cried.  
"We're all here for ya, Zacky, if you need us." Johnny assured me.


	12. Victim

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What will happen now that Zacky has made his mistake? Will he redeem himself or move on?

Victim  
~October's P.O.V.~  
I had finally managed to catch a bus back to Huntington Beach. I was so ready to go home. I should've guessed that this was going to happen. I really thought that Zacky actually liked me, maybe even loved me. He was a rock star, though. I just needed to face the music & move on. I slept most of the way to California & once I was there, I had Amy come pick me up. I explained everything to her & needless to say, she was extremely pissed off.  
"What a douche rocket." she said, pulling into our driveway.  
"I'd really rather not talk about it." I sighed, getting out of the car & walking up to the house. Why me? Why did I have to deal with all this bullshit? I was really hoping that Zack was different than everyone else. I went inside & immediately went to my room, crashing onto my bed & falling asleep. When I woke up, I saw Amy over me, trying to wake me up.  
"Hey, there's someone at the door for you." she told me.  
"Who is it?" I asked her, rubbing the sleep out of my eyes.  
"Just get up & come in here." she said, before leaving the room. I stood up & walked to the front door, seeing Wil standing in the doorway.  
"Hey." he waved, shyly.  
"Hey, what's up?" I sighed.  
"You left this at my apartment." he said, handing me a purple t shirt.  
"Oh, thanks." I replied, quietly, taking the shirt from him.  
"Listen, do you think we could go the beach & take a walk or something?"  
"I don't think so. I really just want to stay home. I'm not in the mood."  
"Are you okay?" he asked me, worriedly.  
"Yeah, it's just that Zacky & I broke up."  
"Please, October. I mean, it really sounds like you're torn up about it. Just come with me." I stood there for a minute, thinking about it.  
"You know what? Yeah, I'll come with you. Let me grab my iPod & some shoes." I told him as I walked back inside. When I came back out to Wil, I received a text.  
"October, look, I know I fucked up. I know that I hurt you. You have to forgive me. I was going to tell you. Really. Just give me another chance." It was Zack. I didn't bother saying anything back. I was not ready to argue with him again.  
"Everything okay?" Wil asked me.  
"Yeah. It's nothing." I sighed, turning on my iPod & walking down the street. I started listening to some Bullet For My Valentine when Wil started talking to me again.  
"Look, I, um, I know you just broke up with him, but you don't think there's any chance, we could fix things, do you?"  
"Maybe. I just need some time. That's all." I sighed.  
"I know. I understand. I've just come to realize what I've done. You're special & you deserve the best. As much as I hate to say this, if you being with someone else keeps you happy, I'm all for it. I just want you to be happy. With or without me." he grinned, putting his hands in the pocket of his jeans.  
"Thanks, Wil. That really means a lot." I smiled as we reached the pier. I leaned on one of the wooden posts & looked out over the water. Then my eyes fell on the end of the pier where Zacky & I used to sit & talk. I started tearing up & shook it off.  
"Fuck off." I muttered under my breath.  
"What?" Wil asked me, looking over at me.  
"Nothing. It's nothing." I told him. We walked up & down the pier & all over the beach for a few hours. It was finally starting to get dark outside.  
"Shall I take you home now?" he asked me.  
"Yeah, I guess that might be a good idea." I grinned, changing the song on my iPod. Once we were back at my house, he walked me up to the door.  
"Thanks, Wil. I really needed that." I told him, leaning in to kiss his cheek.  
"Anytime, October. I'm always here for you. No matter what." he smiled, blushing a little.  
"Bye, Wil." I waved.  
"Later, October." he waved back, walking back down the street. I shut the door behind me & Amy immediately did her usual thing.  
"Nothing happened. We just took a walk to the beach & talked a lot." I told her before she even opened her mouth.  
"Are you going to get back with him?"  
"Probably not. I just want to be single for a while."  
"I understand that." she sighed.  
"I'm, uh, I'm going to go to bed." I said as my phone rang alerting my that I had a text. It was Valary.  
"Hey, I heard what happened. I'm really sorry. Guys can be such dicks sometimes. If you ever need anything, don't hesitate to get a hold of me, Matt, Jimmy, or Johnny. We'll all be here for you. :-)"  
"Thanks, Val. That means a lot. I'm going to go to bed now, but I will text you tomorrow." I texted her back.  
Months passed & finally everyone was back from their tour. I was dreading them coming home because I knew Zacky would try to find me. A few days had passed & still no sign of Zack. I was thankful for that. I really was in no mood to deal with his shit.  
~Zacky's P.O.V.~  
When we got back from touring, I was happy to be home, but I was also really depressed. October still wasn't talking to me. I texted her & I called her & still, no answer. Then, Brian called me.  
"Hey." I answered.  
"Hey." he said. It went really quiet for a minute or two before I broke the silence.  
"Well? What'd you want?"  
"I don't know how else to say this, but I'm sorry." he apologized.  
"What are you talking about? Sorry for what?" I asked him, confused.  
"Zack, I've been an ass. To you, to the guys, to October. I'm really sorry."  
"What happened to you, dude?" I asked him in shock.  
"I know how much October means to you now."  
"What? How?"  
"I think I fell in love. Her name is Michelle."  
"Wait a minute. Isn't that Valary's sister?"  
"Yeah, actually." he chuckled.  
"Do you have any idea how much you fucked up my life? October is gone & she'll probably never talk to me ever again."  
"I know, dude, I know. I fucked up big time. I just wanted to say that I'm sorry."  
"Well, it's too late now. I'm just going to have to try to move on."  
"I hope you can forgive me." he said.  
"I guess. Sorry I beat you up."  
"Yeah, well, I deserved it for being such a douche."  
"Yeah, you did kinda deserve it." I chuckled.  
"Yes, that I did." he agreed.   
~Brian's P.O.V.~  
I had really fucked everything up for Zacky. He finally seemed to be really happy & he found a girl he really clicked with & I went & shot it to hell. I've bee a jerk for a long time & I don't even know why. I must have seriously let the fame go to my head. When I met Michelle, I don't know what it was, but my whole huge ego went shattering to the ground. She totally changed me for the better. Now, I have to try to figure out how to help Zacky. I fucked this up & now I need to fix it. I had decided to go over to October's myself & convince her to take back Zacky. I called Valary & explained to her what I was doing. Needless to say, she thought it was way overdue that I did something like this. Like the guys, she also thought that I was a jerk most of the time, too. She gave me October's address & I hurriedly drove over there. Once I was there, I walked up to her door & knocked, waiting.  
"What do you want?" October answered, annoyed to see me.  
"I know that I've been a real jerk lately, but I came here to apologize for everything I've said or done to you or Zack."  
"Well, it's a little late. We're not together anymore."  
"I know. That's the other thing I came over here to talk to you about."  
"Brian, no. Zack doesn't care about me. It's over." she sighed.  
"Oh, yes he does. A lot more than you think. Zack loves you. You're perfect for him. He has been so depressed lately without you."  
"He should be. What he did was wrong."  
"He knows & the thing is, it was mainly my fault. I egged him on, really. I'm really sorry & I know he is."  
"No, Brian. It's over between us."  
"October, please. Look, he got really drunk & almost drank himself into a fucking coma, he was so depressed over you. He's crazy about you. He's never like this with girls. Ever. You're really something special to him."  
"Then why has he quit trying to get a hold of me?" she asked me.  
"Probably because he realizes he blew it. He really wants to try to work things out, but you won't give him the time of day. So please. Talk to him. For him. For me. For you two. Please. I'm really sorry about everything. From the bottom of my heart, I'm truly sorry." I begged her, getting on my knees.  
"Only on one condition." she said.  
"Anything. You name it." I replied, still on my knees & looking up at her.  
"We meet on the pier & we're not getting back together. We're just talking things through."  
"Oh, you're the best. You're not going to regret this. Zack will be so happy. Thank you, thank you, thank you." I said, excitedly, standing up to hug her.  
"Yeah, yeah, yeah. I'll be waiting so chop, chop." she demanded.  
"I'll call him now." I told her, walking to my car. I then called Zack.  
"What is it Gates?" he answered.  
"Go to the pier. Now."  
"What? Why?" he asked me, confused.  
"I got some beer & some cigarettes. What better way to drown your sorrow? Come on."  
"Brian, no." he sighed.  
"Zacky, yes. Come on. It'll be great. When we get drunk, we can sing stupid songs & be goofy & have fun. It'll make you feel a little better."  
"Okay, fine. But only for a little while. I'll be down there in ten." he said.  
"Great. See you in a little bit, buddy." I chuckled, hanging up the phone. Mission accomplished. Now, all I had to do was make myself disappear & let them two sort out their issues.


	13. Coming Home

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Will October take Zacky back or will she move on without him?

Coming Home  
~Zacky's P.O.V.~  
Brian had called me to see if I wanted to come down to the pier to throw back some beer & smoke some cigarettes. I really wanted to stay inside & drown in my own sorrow, but I needed to get out. I threw on my plain black Vans & started walking towards the pier. I was almost there when I saw her. Her blonde hair flowing in the wind. But Brian was nowhere to be seen. Brian, you fuck. I kept walking towards her & when she saw me, she just stood & waited for me to get closer to her.  
"Hey." she said.  
"Hey, what's up?" I asked her, putting my hands in my pockets.  
"Well, I figured we'd work things out. Brian practically begged me."  
"Fucker. He told me he was waiting for me with beer & cigarettes." I shook my head.  
"Well, if you don't want to work things out, that's fine with me." she said as she started walking away.  
"No, I really want to apologize & fix this."  
"Start talking then." she snapped.  
"October, I'm sorry. I should've told you sooner. After I saw you down at the pool & you wouldn't talk to me, I went into a really depressed state. I went out & bought 3 bottles of Jack Daniel's, went back to my room & got plastered. Later that night, Brian took me to a bar, we picked up a couple of chicks, & the next morning, I woke up naked, & this naked girl was on me. I felt horrible for what I did, but I don't remember anything. I was way too drunk to remember anything."  
"You did what?" she asked me in shock.  
"I'm just being honest with you. I'm putting it all out there. I know this worsens my chances of us ever getting back together, but I wasn't honest with you before, but I'm trying to be now."  
"Zack, I just want an honest relationship. You screwed that up."  
"I know I did. I should never have listened to Brian that night. That was very wrong of me. I'm so sorry. If I could take it back, I would. I can understand if you don't want to talk to or see me again. I can understand if you don't ever want to get back with me. I just hope you'll change your mind & give me a chance." I told her, looking at the ground.  
"You have no idea how much pain you caused me. I really liked you, Zacky. I think I may have even loved you. I want to trust you again, but I don't know if I can let myself do that."  
"It's okay, October. I get it. I just wanted to say that I'm sorry. If you ever need anything or change your mind, call me. I love you, October. I really do." I said as I started walking away. I heard her sigh & then she said my name. I turned to look & she just stood there.  
"Come here." she said.  
"What is it?" I asked her, confused. I started walking back towards her & she just grabbed my face & planted her lips on mine.  
"I swear to god, if you ever hurt me or do anything stupid like that ever again, I'm going to fucking kill you." she laughed, wrapping her arms around me.  
"Wait, does this mean-" "Yes, Zacky. I'll be your girlfriend again & you'll be my boyfriend again." she cut me off. I couldn't help but to pick her up off of her feet & spin around a few times.  
"I love you, too, Zacky Baker." she smiled when I sat her back down.  
"Thank you so much, beautiful." I said, putting my arm around her. Then my phone rang. It was Brian.  
"Hello?" I answered.  
"It's about fucking time! Congrats, brother!" Brian laughed.  
"With what?" I asked him, confused. Then, we saw him walking towards us from across the street.  
"I watched you two the entire time. I had to. I was really worried there for a little while. You two are great together. Zacky loves you. He really does." Brian said to October.  
"I know he does. I love him, too." she grinned, looking up at me & taking my hand.  
"Now, come on, fuckers. Let's go celebrate with everybody else!" Brian smiled, putting one arm around each of us. We walked to Brian's car & I called everyone, telling them to meet at Matt & Val's. Once we were there in the backyard, I put my arm around October.  
"We're back together everyone!" I shouted, excitedly. Everyone cheered & gave us both hugs.  
"She's a keeper, dude. Both of you need to stick together. You're perfect for each other." Matt smiled.  
"Oh, we know. I fucked up. She knows that. I don't know if she's forgiven me yet, but I know I'm on my way to her forgiveness." I smiled at her, kissing her forehead.  
"Oh my god! Look at that duck! That duck is huge! Come here, duck. Come here, stallion duck." Jimmy yelled as a huge group of ducks passed through Matt & Val's backyard.  
The End


End file.
